The better to taste you with…

We’re not saying you can actually taste food with your ears, but they do play a role in transmitting taste signals to your brain. Dr. Levine explains that there is a branch of nerves called the chorda tympani that just happens to run through the middle ear as it connects the taste buds on the front of the tongue to the brain. Because of this, if something happens to your ear it can potentially impact your ability to perceive flavor. “Sometimes ear surgery can affect your taste from a complication; or sometimes, an infection in your ear can affect taste,” says Dr. Levine.”